Technical and cocational training ‘not a fallback Option’: PM

Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka says the 44 graduates of Montfort Technical Institute (MTI) are a reminder that technical and vocational training is not a fallback option but a powerful pathway to employment, entrepreneurship and national development.

Speaking as chief guest at the graduation ceremony in Savusavu last Saturday, he said Government remained committed to supporting vocational institutions such as Montfort Boys Town.

“You are not only training students but also helping address national challenges such as unemployment, skills shortages, social exclusion and poverty,” Mr Rabuka said.

“Every student who graduates from this institute represents personal achievement, family stability, restored dignity and a stronger, more resilient Fiji.”

He urged graduates to remain committed to lifelong learning, improve their skills and uphold honesty, humility and hard work.

About Montfort Technical Institute

Mr Rabuka told the gathering that Montfort Technical Institute has a long and meaningful history.

Established by the Government through the Ministry of Education and supported by the People’s Republic of China, the institute was created to provide young people with a pathway to a meaningful future.

The administration was entrusted to the Montfort Brothers of Saint Gabriel in 1995. On March 19, 1996, the institute was blessed by the late Archbishop Petero Mataca, and later that year, on November 7, it was officially inaugurated by the late Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, then President of Fiji.

“Since that day, Montfort became more than a school; it became a community of care, skills-building and hope for youths across Fiji,” he said.

He said Montfort serves poor and vulnerable boys and girls from all backgrounds — Christian, Hindu and Muslim — from Vanua Levu, Taveuni and even Viti Levu.

Montfort provides two core areas of training:

1. Home training:
Students learn discipline, character development, personal responsibility and social skills. They are taught to live and work together as one family.

2. Vocational training:
Students receive practical skills in cabinet making, motor vehicle mechanics, panel beating, carpentry, plumbing, block laying and agriculture. They also learn livestock and crop farming, including fish, cattle, sheep, ducks, goats, poultry and plantation.

Mr Rabuka said these were “lifelong skills that build nations.”

“You are change-makers and community builders — symbols of what is possible when education is inclusive, accessible and practical,” he told graduates.

A total of 14 students graduated with a Certificate in Automotive Trade, 20 with Certificate Carpenter General and 10 with a Certificate in Cabinet Making.